Towel-rack.



A. H. HOWE.

TOWEL BACK.

APPLIOA'I'IOH nun my 23, 1912.

1,064,734. Patented June 17,1913.

WIN/E8858 INVENTOR W i Alf-red H. Howe 5L 1 W ATTORNEYS UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED H. HOWE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TOWEL-RACK.

Application filed May 23, 1912.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED H. HowE, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of New York, borough of the Bronx, in the countyand State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Towel-Rack, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates generally to towel racks and is particularlydirected to an improved construction, especially intended for use withhotwater boilers used. with kitchen ranges, the arrangement of partsbeing such that an article of this class may be produced at a low costand sold at a corresponding price.

The principal design of the invention is a supporting means for a towelrack characterized by the fact that the arms of the rack are supportedby a plurality of bands, the structure thereof being integral information and fashioned to take care of a number of such arms.

It is of some consequence in the production of devices of this classthat an article be produced which will appeal to users by simplicity ofconstruction, and this has been kept in mind in the devising thereof.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference denotecorresponding parts in all the views, and in which Figure l is a partialside view of the rack in position on a boiler; Fig. 2 is a horizontalsectional view; Fig. 3 is a view of the arm and supporting means, partlysectional; Fig. 4 is a partial plan view of the supporting band; Fig. 5is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 after the parts are bent;Fig. 6 is a side view of the method of attaching the meeting ends of theband; while Fig. 7 sets forth the blank from which the supporting bandis made after the part has been suitably stamped.

The rack comprises arms 1 and support ing bands 2, 3, suitable brackets4 secured to the arms and engaging the bands providing the supportingmeans for the arms.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 3, the arm 1 is preferably made ofwood, the outer end thereof being enlarged as at 5 in order to present afinished appearance, and, at the same time prevent towels from easilysliding off the arm. The other end of the Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented June 17, 1913.

Serial N 0. 699,149.

arm is preferably provided with a ferrule 6, there being an openingextending transversely of the arm and the ferrule and receiving oneelement of the supporting means, this element preferably comprising abent piece of wire 7 having the hooked upper end 8 and the verticallyextending lower end 9 which ends are in line with each other. The arm issuitably braced with respect to the element- 7 by means of a diagonallyextending element 10 having its upper end extending into a recess 11 inthe side of the arm, the lower end of this element being bent around andsoldered or brazed, or otherwise secured to the element 7, as at 11, theelements 7 and 10 constituting a bracket; it is to be noted that thebent portion 12 of the brace 10 is removed from the free lower end 9 ofthe element 7, whereby its end may enter a portion of the supportingband and be held in position therein.

The bands 2, 3, are adapted to be extended around and held in positionon any form of hot water boiler 13, the parts being espe cially designedfor such use in view of the fact that heat radiated from the waterwithin the boiler will assist in drying the towels suspended nearby.Each band preferably comprises the body member 14 having a number ofcircular openings 15 properly spaced therealong, these openings beingsurrounded by slots 16 curved in outline, somewhat resembling aparabola, so that, when the portion of the material included within theslots or between the sides thereof are bent at right angles to the bodymember 14, suitable bearings 17 will be provided, the openings 15 ofwhich receive the end of the hooked portion 8 and the lower end portion9 of the said curved element 7. It is obvious that in order to form theband a continuous strip of material may be used and that punching orstamping may be effected at given distances, whereby the structuredescribed is produced.

In order to provide a simple means for effectively holding each band onthe boiler against displacement, each end of the body member or band 14at opposite sides is cut away in order to form inclined edge portions18, as shown particularly in Fig. 4, the said ends of the band beingprovided with spaced openings 19, preferably circular in outline, theends being also provided with inwardly extending recesses 20 which aredivergent, the one recess 20 and the edge portion 18, however, being sorelated that a substantially rectangular portion is included betweenthis recess and edge portion, the same being also true of the otherrecess and the other edge portion 18, the construction being especiallyapparent from Fig. 4.

In order to arrive at what is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the material isbent along the lines a, b, in order to form the angularly extendingportions 21, which are, in eifect, braces, the said rectangular portionsof material being then bent along the broken lines 0, d, and e, of Fig.4, the openings 19 registering, the final structure appearing in Fig. 5,whereby a suitable fastening device may be passed through the parts inorder to securely hold the band on the boiler. This fastening device maybe anything suited to the purpose and along the lines of a boltand nut,the construction shown in Fig. 6, however, being preferred because ofits simplicity and ease of operation; a piece of wire of uncertainlength has one end portion threaded, as at 22, the other end portionbeing formed into a ring 23 with the inter mediate end portion 24 of thematerial bent or wrapped around the intermediate portion of the wire,thereby forming a shoulder 25 to engage with the upturned part at oneend of the band, the threaded end entering the upturned part of theother end of the band, there being a nut 26 engaging the said threadedend and lying closely adjacent to the upturned part of the said otherend. The band may be easily brought to proper position on the boiler andsecured in such position by merely turning the end of the threadedmember through the medium of the ring 23, the shoulder 25 and the nut 26serving to hold the parts rigidly in position because of theirengagement with the upturned end parts.

From a consideration of What has been said, it will appear that a towelrack of substantial construction, and yet one which is easily made, isdevised, the material of which the different parts are made, however,being largely matters of choice and expediency, such matters alsoincluding the relative size and shape of the difierent parts.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent I A band adapted tobe extended around and held in position on a hot water boiler, the endsof the band being provided with a number of o enings, the said endsbeing also provided with inwardly extending diverging slots, each endportion being adapted to be bent on lines substantially coincident withthe said slots, the ends of the band provided with the openings beingalso bent, whereby they extend substantially normal from the said bandwith the openings therein in register, and a fastening device passingthrough all of the said registering openings, whereby the band is heldin position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED H. HOWE.

Witnesses:

PHILIP D. RoLLHAUs, L. J. GALLAGHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C."

